AN autistic teenager prone to outbursts of violence was forced to wait 31 hours and stay overnight in an accident and emergency department while bosses searched for a mental health bed.

Adrian Lord, 16, who has complex learning difficulties, was on his fourth visit to Royal Blackburn Hospital in a month having been sent home three times because of a lack of suitable provision.

He has since spent two weeks in a room officially allocated for patients involved with the police at the Royal Preston Hospital while the Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust sought a suitable bed.

Adrian was due to be transferred to a specialist unit in Sheffield, one of only three in England, yesterday.

His mother Kathy Lord, 39, described Adrian’s ordeal waiting in the two hospitals as ‘absolutely disgraceful’.

She said it highlighted a national and regional shortage of mental health beds.

The total time they spent in the Royal Blackburn A&E despite recommendations that Adrian should be ‘sectioned’ to secure psychiatric accommodation suitable to his needs, totalled 48 hours over the four visits.

Miss Lord, of Mill Hill, contacted the Lancashire Telegraph after it revealed another mental health patient had to wait 70 hours and 22 minutes in the Royal Blackburn A&E for a bed in 2016/2017.

The care trust and hospital bosses have apologised to the family and the case and has been taken up by Blackburn MP Kate Hollern.

Miss Lord said: “It is absolutely disgraceful my son, who can be violent, was forced to wait for 31 hours on his fourth visit in a windowless and unsuitable room in the A&E, sleeping on a trolley, while they tried to find him a bed.

“The room at Royal Preston is also unsuitable although the staff there and at Royal Blackburn have been great.

“These harsh surroundings have worsened Adrian’s symptoms already. We need action not apologies.”

Adrian first visited A&E on the advice of a mental health crisis line after becoming disturbed and violent on February 12, then again on February 15, spending four hours there on each occasion.

The crisis line sent him back on February 17 where they spent nine hours there before going home for a third time despite medical recommendations Adrian should be ‘sectioned’ and fears he could hurt himself or family members.

At 2pm on March 3 Adrian, Miss Lord and other family members returned to A&E and decided because of his behaviour they would wait for a suitable mental health bed. They were put in a windowless side room full of medical equipment.

The room was later cleared of the equipment which was replaced with a trolley bed.

At 9pm on March 4, Adrian was transferred to Preston.

Pensioner waits almost 24 hours for a bed in Blackburn A+E

Miss Lord said: “It is an appalling state of affairs which has highlighted a disgraceful deficit in provision when it comes to autism, learning disabilities and mental health combined.

“The government needs to be providing more specialist mental health provision locally so that suitable beds are not so rare.”

Mrs Hollern said: “The government must ensure mental health care provision is available to those that need it.

“I will be raising this as a matter of urgency.”

A spokesperson for Lancashire Care said: “We are deeply sorry that the family feels they have not had a good experience.

“We understand why the family is distressed and have been providing them with help in finding a suitable placement where specialist support can be given.

“The trust is not commissioned to provide this because of their son’s very specific needs.”

A spokesman for NHS England North said: “We understand how difficult it can be for families in such situations. We’ve assured the family that we are working closely with partners to ensure the right support is put in place.

“NHS funding for young people’s mental health services is increasing by £100million. As a result, services around the country are beginning to expand and improve.”

Dr Damian Riley, executive medical director at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Royal Blackburn, said: “We do sympathise with this family and we are always sorry when patients’ experiences do not match our aspirations for excellent care.

“Long waits for patients with mental health needs are upsetting and mental health services for this area are provided by a different trust. We do work in close partnership.”